Between Us
by Classic-Love
Summary: What if Shang had been in love with "Ping" from the start, and didn't say a word...? But one night, he found out the truth? MulanxShang. One shot.


(So, I had a sudden burst of creativity, after watching _Mulan_ for the billionth time after getting it for Christmas. :P It might seem a little gay at first (literally. Not that whole "OMG THAT'S SO GAY" thing. Anyways, yeah…), but it gets better. And of course, I don't own the script to Mulan, or the characters. Even though I wish I did. And I'm sorry if I ruin anyone's perception of the movie. I tried to make it as realistic as possible.)

Mulan let her newly short hair down, taking off the armor that took so much weight to support. Being in the army was so much harder than she ever would have thought. She'd been there three weeks, spending every waking moment with _men _and their nasty habits; she had to take a bath. Of course, Mushu disagreed. "This is a bad idea. What if someone sees you?" He said, covering his eyes as she undressed. "Just because I look like a man doesn't mean I have to smell like one." She simply stated back, jumping into the blue water.

Thankfully, no one else was around. The consequence for a woman sneaking into the army would be death. Besides, she needed some girl time. _"Ahhhh." _she let out with relief, not bothering to remove her wet hair from her face. "Yeah, yeah, alright, that's enough. Now get outta there before you get all pruny and stuff." Mushu nagged again, his eyes still covered with his ears. "If you're so worried, go stand watch." Mulan said, rubbing some water on her arms. "Yeah, yeah_. Stand watch, Mushu, while I blow our secret with my stupid girly habits. Hygiene." _Mulan ignored his mocking tone. She could care less what the tiny dragon thought; after all, he had no idea how hard it had been, being in the army. With that thought, she felt a little guilty. Mushu had been training her and helping her all the way throughout this. He deserved as much credit as she did.

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Shang sat in Chi Fu's tent, listening to him lecture about the troops. Shang didn't particularly care for Chi Fu, and he didn't see how the emperor dealt with his constant nagging and attitude all of the time. He was rude and obnoxious.

"You think your troops are ready to fight? Hah! They wouldn't last a minute against the Huns!" Chi Fu was a tiny man; when he got excited or angry, his body reflected it. Meaning he acted way too enthusiastic. As he exclaimed this, Chi Fu was on his legs, throwing his arms around and raising his voice. Shang replied in a calm matter, not letting the adviser upset him. "They've completed all of their training." He said, his voice showing a hint of aggravation. Chi Fu had no idea who he was dealing with. "Those boys are no more fit to be soldiers than you are to be captain. Once the general reads my report, your troops will never see battle." Chi Fu rolled his eyes. "_That pretty boy captain. _I _should have _his _job."_ He thought to himself.

Chi Fu started walking out of the tent, prepared to write his letter to the general, Shang's father. Shang stood up, touching his arm to stop him. "We're NOT finished." And Chi Fu smirked. "Be careful, Captain. The general may be your father, but I'm the Emperor's council. Which, oh, by the way, I got that job on my own." He exited the tent, leaving Shang with an angry rage.

He was still sitting on the bed in his tent, and leaned up against the pillow with a sigh. The perfect thing to calm him down at that moment would be a _bath. _

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Mulan had no idea that Mushu had left. She thought he was still standing guard, but being quiet for once, to let her clear her mind (In reality, he was riding on a panda, posing as a general, to get Chi Fu to agree to let the troops go to war. That's a different story, of course). Mulan had been doing a pretty good job of guarding herself as well. Every time someone walked pass the river, she would hide behind a large rock. No one had a clue.

When General Li Shang stepped into the water, she didn't hear or see a thing. She was too busy enjoying the feeling of the water on her skin. She rested her head on the rock and sighed contently.

"Well, it seems someone is having a good time." She heard the deep voice behind her and knew exactly who it was. The voice belonged to the man that had made her heart flutter every time he'd taken his shirt off to train with her. The man that made her weak in the knees. "Oh, hi, Captain!" Mulan hid her body behind the rock, not letting Shang see anything but her face. "I was just taking a bath, and now I'm clean, and I'm gonna go. Bye!" She put her fingers up to her lips to whistle for Kahn, but she was interrupted by Shang. "Wait! Ping… I just thought I'd tell you… I've had a lot of fun training with you. More fun than I'd ever had training before." Mulan's heart flipped. She'd had lots of fun, too. Of course, she denied it every time Mushu brought the subject up. She had _no feelings _for Captain Li Shang. Of course, that's what she told Mushu. Her heart said something different.

She felt the blush rising to her cheeks, and for once, she didn't mind if it was something a man would never do. It was something _Mulan_ would do. "I've had a lot of fun, too." She forgot to put on the deep, manly voice. She just kept her normal one. She'd now moved from behind the rock, but her body was still hidden underneath the water. The two were face-to-face, closer than normal. "Listen, Ping… There's something I've always wanted to tell you. I feel you're different than others, and I can really talk to you. The more I get to know you I start to--" Mulan was lost in his eyes. She felt like they were the only two people in the entire world.

Then came the trio. One by one, Ling, Yao, and Chein Po jumped in the water. Chein Po made a huge wave in the process. "Hey guys!" Ling said, acting casual around Shang for once. Mulan hid behind the rock once more. "Ping! Get out here!" Yao said with a shout. "Um…" Mulan put on her man voice again. "I don't know you guys… See, I've been in here a really long time and uh… I'm probably starting to smell too… good? So I'm gonna go. Bye!" She put her fingers up to her lips again to whistle for Kahn, but was stopped by Ling. "_Where is Mushu?"_ she thought to herself. He was going to get a personal army style ass kicking from her. "I know we started off on the wrong foot before.. But let's start over." He held his hand out, and took one of hers. Mulan kept her other arm in place over her breasts, hoping no one would notice. "I'm Ling…" He said in a tone that indicate that he was in a support group of some sort.

Yao and Chein Po joined in the group, also trying to shake hands with her, while Shang stayed out of the circle. She shot him a look, as if she were asking for help. He took the hint. "Alright, you guys… Settle down. Me and Ping are gonna go take care of some things. We'll see you in the morning." Putting his hand on Mulan's shoulder, he escorted her out of the pond. "Now we know who _his_ favorite is." Yao said as they left, but Mulan and Shang ignored it.

Mulan wrapped the towel that was laid out for her around her waist. "Thanks for that." She put on her Ping voice. She hated being phony around him. "No problem." Shang chuckled. "Those guys can be a hand full," he smiled as the two started walking together. "Well.. I had fun tonight, Captain." Her Ping voice disappeared again, turning her back into Mulan. She almost felt schizophrenic. "Me too, Ping. Hey. Let me walk you back to your tent."

Mulan's tent was farther away than the rest of the men's. Theirs were closer together, in a sort of bunch, but Mulan stayed away. She figured it was best, considering her secret and all. Normally, she would have denied this request, but she decided that it wouldn't hurt anything. A little one-on-one time with her captain. What was wrong with that?

The moon was full that night, and the stars shined brightly over the camp. Mulan smiled as she thought of her father. She missed him dearly. He was the reason she went into the army. It didn't matter if she died in his place. She only cared if he lived. But there were some times that she wanted to see him. "Nights like these… Make me think of my father." She said to Shang, looking up at the stars. "You miss him, don't you?" She nodded. "Yes." The two were silent for a moment. Then their voices clashed in unison.

"Ping--"

"Shang--"

She looked at her tent and sighed. "Well… Goodnight." Shang smiled down at her, and kissed her forehead. Her jaw dropped. For a moment, she'd forgotten that she was _Ping._ She stared up into his brown eyes, her heart pounding, and before she knew it, he was leaning in towards her lips. She stood on her tippy-toes to reach him.

The kiss lasted what seemed like hours, but in reality, it was only minutes. She used all of her endurance to pull away. "Shang… I have to tell you something." She took his hand and lead him into the tent. She turned her back to him and unwrapped the towel. She wasn't even fully dry yet. "I know this might come off as a huge shock, but you have to promise you won't make a huge deal out of it… After all, you're the one who kissed **me.**" Shang smirked. "Alright. What do you wanna show me?" He bit his lip, still smiling the mischievous grin.

Mulan turned around and bit her own lip in fear. "I know the penalty for this is death, but I did it to save my father. You have to understand. I know how you feel about your father…" She started out. "You would do the same for him."

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Shang shook his head in disbelief. Ping was a girl the whole time? "So… what's your name?" He asked, looking her up and down. "Fa Mulan. I'm the daughter of Fa Zhou." He nodded. "I see." He felt a sense of awkwardness now, and a little bit embarrassed. He was kissing a girl the whole time, when he repeatedly told himself that it was okay he felt that way about another man. Then again… Shang had romantic feelings for Ping; why shouldn't Mulan be any different?

Without hesitating, he removed his shirt, revealing his perfect body, and moving towards Mulan. He caressed her cheek, and smiled down at her tiny form. He imagined her with long hair at one time, which she probably did have, but cut it, in order to look like a man. She was beautiful. Her chestnut colored eyes stared back into his, and they began to kiss again.

They spent the night together, but had to play it safe. Shang had to leave early in the morning to make it look like nothing had happened. At five AM, he woke her up. "Mulan.. Mulan?" he shook her shoulder slightly, waiting for her. He couldn't leave without saying goodbye. She opened her eyes, and he smiled down at her. "I have to go," he said in a whisper. Kissing her forehead again, she cuddled into his hard chest. "When will we see each other again?" She asked. "Anytime you want." Planting another kiss on her thin lips, he felt longing to touch her soft skin again. "Tonight." He said kissing her again. She smiled up at him. He could see how tired she was in her eyes. "Goodnight, my love." Mulan rose slightly out of bed. "Shang?" She called out in a quiet voice. "Yeah?" She propped herself on her elbows. "This is between us, right?" Shang nodded. "Of course it is." He slowly put his clothes back on, and quietly went to his tent.

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When Mulan awoke in the morning, she was still fatigued. Most of all hungry. _"Was last night a dream?" _she wondered aloud. Mushu had finally come home, and had no clue of what went on the last night. She got dressed as she usually did, into her armor and such, putting her short hair up in a ponytail, and greeting her friends at the campsite.

The troop lined up in the morning as they usually did, for their inspection. Shang walked out of his tent, his shirt off as usual. "Good morning, men!" And shot a smile to the end of the line: Ping. Mulan felt the blood rush to her cheeks again.

The men had their own suspicions about Ping and the Captain; but it was a secret, after all, and remained between the two of them.


End file.
